La aproximación multimétodo en evaluación de necesidades

La evaluación de necesidades es una modalidad de investigación social aplicada, de carácter evaluativo, que consiste en identificar y priorizar los problemas existentes en un contexto determinado, como base para la planificación de intervenciones que incidan sobre las principales carencias detectadas. A pesar de la amplia variedad de métodos de investigación disponibles para el desarrollo de este tipo de estudios, la práctica de la evaluación de necesidades suele caracterizarse por cierta pobreza metodológica, con un claro predominio de la encuesta como principal o único método de recogida de información. En el presente trabajo, tras realizar una breve revisión de las aproximaciones metodológicas alternativas que es posible adoptar en el ámbito general de la investigación social y la evaluación de programas, se propone un modelo multimétodo de evaluación de necesidades que plantea el uso combinado de técnicas de investigación tanto cuantitativas como cualitativas.Needs assessment is a type of applied social evaluative research, focused on the identification and prioritization of problems in a specific context, as a base for intervention planning oriented to solve the main identified needs. In spite of the huge availability of research methods for the development of this kind of studies, needs assessment practice is too often charaterized by certain methodological poverty, with a clear dominance of the survey as the main or only research method. In the present paper, after a brief revision of the methodological approaches that may be adopted in the general field of social research and programme evaluation, a multimethod needs assessment model is proposed, suggesting the combined use of both qualitative and quantitative research techniques

La evaluación de la calidad docente en el nuevo marco del EEES : un estudio sobre la encuesta de opinión del Programa DOCENTIA-ANDALUCÍA

La adaptación de los Títulos al nuevo marco del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) requiere la optimización de la calidad de las actividades desarrolladas por el profesorado. La evaluación de la actividad docente se convierte así en un pilar fundamental en el ámbito de los nuevos Sistemas de Garantía de Calidad (SGC). Por ello, y en este contexto de cambios, la necesidad de emprender la evaluación de la labor docente de forma integral constituye una de las demandas más urgentes para las universidades españolas. A pesar de la importancia de contextualizar la evaluación, la utilización de indicadores específicos permite detectar problemáticas educativas e implementar medidas de mejora continua. Asimismo, posibilita el uso de un lenguaje común entre instituciones académicas, fortaleciéndose el sentido de la evaluación de la labor docente como sistema integral de calidad. En este sentido, el mantenimiento de indicadores depende de la implantación de procedimientos validados por la comunidad universitaria. Un ejemplo de ello es el uso de herramientas fiables como la Encuesta de Opinión de los Estudiantes sobre la Labor Docente del Profesorado Universitario, originaria del programa DOCENTIA-ANDALUCIA, y que representa una muestra de la utilidad de este tipo de instrumentos. El estudio que se presenta se enmarca en las nuevas formas de docencia universitaria y supone un cambio en la concepción de la evaluación docente._________________________________________Adjustment of Degrees to the new framework of the European Space for Higher Education needs optimization of the quality of the activities developed by the teaching staff. So, the assessment of the teaching activity becomes a mainstay in the field of new Quality Assurance Systems. In this context of changes, the need to undertake an integral evaluation of the academic job represents one of the most urgent demands for the Spanish universities. In spite of importance of the context of evaluation, utilization of specific indicators allows to detect educational problems and to implement measures of constant improvement. Likewise, it makes possible the use of a common language among academic institutions and it strengthens the sense of evaluation of the teaching labour as integral system of quality. In this respect, maintenance of indicators depends on implementation of validated procedures by the university community. An example of it is the use of trustworthy tools such as the Opinion polls of the Students about Teaching Activity of University Professor. This survey comes from program DOCENTIA-ANDALUCIA and it represents a sample of utility of this type of instruments. The study presented places in the new forms of university teaching and it means a change in the conception of the academic/educational/teaching process evaluation

Spanish Version of the Flourishing Scale (FS) on the Parents of Children With Cancer: A Validation Through Rasch Analysis

The interest in the study of flourishing is due to the fact that it has been proven that it contributes to a good adjustment to the demands of the environment, relating to indicators of health and well-being. There are many researches that have tried to find out what dimensions make it up. The goal of this study is to validate the Spanish Version of The Flourishing Scale (FS), being the first time it is applied to Spanish parents of children with cancer. A total of 138 parents of children with cancer participated in a semi-structured interview. Through IBM SPSS and Winsteps descriptive analyzes and the internal consistency of the FS were calculated. Rasch analysis was used to study the dimensionality of the scale, the adjustment of each one of the items, the reliability values for the items and for the people, the validity of the construct, the functioning of the response categories, and the differential item functioning (DIF). The external construct validity of the FS was examined with associated measures. Results found that parents indicated a flourishing attitude (M = 3.85; sd = 0.63). We confirm that the FS maintains an adequate internal consistency and a unidimensional structure. We observed a good alignment between the question and the person's abilities as soon as a high reliability for the items. Although the sample is large enough to corroborate the difficulty hierarchy of the items, the construct validity could be improved by introducing items of moderate and high difficulty. On the other hand, the answer category 3 overlaps with the 2 and 4, so we propose possible solutions. Regarding a possible DIF, this exists in relation to “gender,” “level of education” and “by the situation with respect to treatment.” Finally, the convergent validity of the FS is demonstrated, there being a significant correlation with well-being, satisfaction with social support and coping. In general, the results show adequate psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the FS, so we recommend integrating it in psychosocial interventions aimed at parents of children with cancer, in order to provide them with resources to deal with the disease

Muslim and Christian Women’s Perceptions of the Influence of Spirituality and Religious Beliefs on Motherhood and Child-Rearing: A Phenomenological Study

(1) Background: Spirituality is a factor that plays a role in decisions related to health and illness. When a woman becomes a mother, she undergoes physical, psychological, and social changes for which healthcare professionals must provide the necessary care. However, women may feel misunderstood and stigmatized when they carry out their religious practices and express their spirituality related to motherhood. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of women with Muslim and Christian religious ideologies on the influence of spirituality and religious beliefs in motherhood and child-rearing. (2) Methods: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study with two groups of women of Islamic and Christian ideology, respectively. Three focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with ATLAS.ti 7.0. An inductive analysis was carried out according to the Moustakas model. (3) Results: Three themes were identified: religious and cultural aspects that determine child-rearing, the influence of spirituality and family on the mother’s role, and the support received from healthcare personnel. (4) Conclusions: Spirituality and religious beliefs are manifested during motherhood and child-rearing in the form of infant feeding, the need for their protection, or the need for support from mothers. Healthcare personnel must be able to offer culturally competent and spiritually respectful care. Patients should not be judged based on their spirituality

RECAMBIO TEMPORAL DE ESPECIES DE LEPIDÓPTEROS NOCTURNOS EN FUNCIÓN DE LA TEMPERATURA Y LA HUMEDAD EN UNA ZONA DE SELVA CADUCIFOLIA EN YUCATÁN, MÉXICO

The aim of this paper is to estimate the temporal of turnover pattern of moths species in relation to two environmental gradients: temperature (° C) and relative humidity(%). Using a light trap method, a community of moths were sampled for a period of 12 months, in the Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve located in Yucatán, Mexico. It was demonstrated that species turnover exhibits a strong temporal pattern in relation to temperature and relative humidity variation between climatic periods. The warm and dry period (March to July) had the highest dissimilatity in species composition, determined mainly by families: Noctuidae, Geometridae and Crambidae. This study provides information on the temporal pattern of temporal species turnover for families with high species richness of Neotropical moths. The results obtained have implications for conservation of moth biodiversity, since they allow a base line to be established, focused on detecting the effects of climatic variations on species composition.El principal objetivo de este trabajo es cuantificar el recambio temporal de mariposas nocturnas y su relación con dos gradientes ambientales: temperatura (° C) y humedad relativa (%). Utilizando una trampa de luz se realizó un muestreo por un periodo de 12 meses de una comunidad de mariposas nocturnas en la Reserva Biocultural Kaxil Kiuic (RBKK), ubicada enYucatán, México. Se observó que el recambio de especies exhibe un marcado patrón temporal en relación con la variación de la temperatura y humedad relativa entre periodos climáticos. El periodo cálido y seco (marzo a julio) presentó la mayor disimilitud en la composición de especies, determinada principalmente por las familias: Noctuidae, Crambidae y Geometridae. Los resultados obtenidos tienen implicaciones para la conservación de la biodiversidad de mariposas nocturnas, ya que permiten establecer una línea base enfocada a detectar la influencia de las variaciones climáticas sobre la composición de especies

Caracterización e identificación de alabastro y yeso de calidad estatuaria: aplicación en la determinación de procedencia

La presente tesis doctoral, se enmarca dentro de un proyecto interdisciplinar financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad “El alabastro de las canteras históricas del valle medio del Ebro como material artístico desde la baja Edad Media a la Edad Moderna y su estudio petrográfico-geoquímico” HAR2012-32628, cuyo IP era la Dra. Carmen Morte que continuó en el proyecto “Las canteras históricas de alabastro en Aragón y las limítrofes en La Rioja, Navarra y Valencia: Estudio histórico-artístico y petrográfico-geoquímico” HAR2015-66999-P (MINECO). Su objetivo es el estudio de las piezas artísticas realizadas en alabastro desde la Edad Media hasta la Edad Moderna principalmente en Aragón, junto con la localización y caracterización del alabastro de canteras históricas, tanto en Aragón como de otras comunidades autónomas cercanas, La Rioja, Navarra, Castilla-La Mancha, Comunidad Valenciana y Cataluña. Ya que es necesario estudiar el material procedente de las canteras históricas para poder conocer el lugar de procedencia de las piezas artísticas. La elección del alabastro como objeto de estudio, se debe a que es un material utilizado, en el mundo artístico desde la Antigüedad, ya en época romana encontramos numerosas esculturas realizas con este material. Tendencia que continuó durante la Edad Media y la Edad Moderna, y que actualmente está resurgiendo como elemento decorativo. La importancia histórica de este material, contrasta con los escasos estudios realizados sobre su procedencia.Este trabajo, propone un protocolo, para la identificación de procedencia de piezas artísticas, realizadas en alabastro, mediante la combinación de diferentes técnicas, como son las descripciones macroscópicas y petrográficas del material, análisis geoquímicos, para conocer la concentración de elementos menores, como son el Sr y Ba en las muestras, y técnicas de luminiscencia. De este modo se puede comparar y corroborar, la procedencia de las piezas artísticas, al verificar que las muestras tomadas de ellas, coinciden con las obtenidas de las canteras. <br /

Needs Assessment in Parents of Children Affected by Cancer: A Qualitative Perspective

Background: Childhood cancer is a “stressful experience” for parents in their role as caregivers. The aim of this study is to analyze the needs of a group of parents who have children diagnosed with cancer. The assessment looks at all areas of their daily life using a qualitative content analysis approach. Methods: This study uses open questions designed to investigate the main problems faced by the parents of children with cancer. All the answers were analyzed using MAXQDA 20 software. The study was conducted according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). Results: The content analysis of the answers from 13 mothers and 7 fathers is presented. The main themes as priority areas of need were: “informal social support”, “coping”, “stressors/imbalances” and “health problems”. Dissatisfaction with the support provided from the informal network was detected. Although the participants expressed active coping, they also exhibited helplessness, as well as concerns regarding possible sequelae and the impact of this situation on the family’s economic/work context. Conciliation problems were a source of stress. All this is consistent with the participants suffering from a variety of health issues. Conclusions: the results show the effect of childhood cancer on different aspects of family life. They provide essential information for designing psychosocial interventions

When Your Child Has Cancer: A Path-Analysis Model to Show the Relationships between Flourishing and Health in Parents of Children with Cancer

Background: Childhood cancer is a disease with a psychosocial impact on parents who experience health problems and distress. Their reactions depend on the relationship of multiple factors. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the interrelationships between flourishing and the variables linked to the health and wellbeing of parents of children with cancer. Methods: Mothers/fathers of children with cancer participated in an exploratory study in response to a series of questionnaires. Likert-type scales were used to measure perceived health, wellbeing, flourishing, stress, coping, and social support. Results: Out of a total of 94 children, 138 parents (60 men/78 women) are represented. Participants show physical symptoms and an unstable coping pattern. A path analysis model is presented. As to the goodness of adjustment of the statistics used, good results were obtained. Flourishing tends to coexist with wellbeing, while flourishing coexists negatively with symptoms. There is an indirect relationship between flourishing and poor health. There is a positive relationship between flourishing and coping, as well as between flourishing and satisfaction with the support received (especially from sons/daughters). This support was negatively related to the subjective health report. Conclusions: Flourishing is shown as a healthy coping strategy. The results can enrich the development of psychosocial interventions aimed at promoting adequate adaptation

Evaluación de la actividad docente en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior: un estudio comparativo de indicadores de calidad en universidades europeas

La adaptación de los Títulos al nuevo marco del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) requiere la optimización de la calidad de las actividades desarrolladas por el profesorado. Por ello, y en este contexto de cambios, la necesidad de emprender la evaluación de la labor docente de forma integral constituye una de las demandas más urgentes para las universidades europeas. Asimismo, la instauración de modelos comparables entre instituciones académicas fortalece el sentido de la evaluación de la labor docente como Sistema Integral de Calidad. Todo lo anterior se traduce en un cambio de concepción del proceso de enserevista ñanza universitaria, donde la formación y experiencia docente se combinan para garantizar la calidad tanto de los aprendizajes del alumnado universitario, como de la metodología y actuación docente, teniendo como finalidad última la mejora continua y la optimización del proceso de aprendizaje-enseñanza